Star India Cricket Team batter Shubman Gill is highly likely to make his return to the Ranji Trophy after a span of 2 years. After a humiliating loss in the Border Gavaskar Trophy, the Indian batters have been criticized for not taking part in domestic cricket. As per reports, Gill is available to take part in Punjab vs Karnataka clash on 23rd January.
The emphasis on domestic cricket has been making the headlines off late. And is this particularly due to the fact that star batters don’t take part in domestic cricket after getting their chances in the national team. With increasing talks on the importance of domestic cricket after the torrid performances in BGT, Shubman Gill is likely to be available for the Ranji Trophy clash.
Star batters fail to take part in Domestic cricket
Shubman Gill has been rested for the IND vs ENG T20Is with the focus mainly on the ICC Champions Trophy. It is believed that he would make the ODIs squad against Three Lions before departing for Dubai. “Yes, Shubman Gill is available for Punjab’s Ranji match against Karnataka on January 23,” a source within the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) told Hindustan Times.
Shubman Gill’s last domestic outing came last year in the Duleep Trophy. His last Ranji game was way back in 2022. The top-order batter has gone on to play just 1 red ball domestic cricket match over the last 4 years.
Other star batters like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Rishabh Pant too haven’t played domestic cricket for ages. However, right now Rohit Sharma has joined Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy squad at Wankhede to practice. It is unclear whether he will play against Jammu and Kashmir.
Shubman Gill had a horrible outing in the IND vs AUS Test series. He managed to score 93 runs in 5 innings. Gill was no different from the rest of the star batters who failed to perform. This resulted in India’s 3-1 humiliating loss in Down Under.